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She said: “We should not forget that organ donation is a gift which can only occur as a result of tragic circumstances and every donor and their family has made a selfless decision which has enabled others to live.

“We need to continue doing what we can to help reduce the numbers of people in Scotland waiting for transplants.

“Moving to an opt-out system of organ and tissue donation will be part of a long-term culture change in attitudes to encourage people to support donation.”

She said it was part of a package of measures and pointed out that Scotland’s record of organ donation was up 146 per cent in a decade.

Labour MSP Anne ­McTaggart’s attempt to introduce the ­legislation was voted down by the SNP Government in the last ­parliament.

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A similar bill from Labour's Anne McTaggart was voted down during the last parliament (Image: David Cheskin/PA Wire)

Campbell said that while the Bill was “well intentioned”, it contained flaws.

The current Bill was ­introduced by Labour MSP Mark Griffin. He said: “Scottish Labour welcome the move to an opt-out system for organ donation, which is something we have been fighting for many years.

“This long overdue change will increase the number of ­transplants that take place and, fundamentally, it will save lives.”

The Scottish Government’s support came after 82 per cent of those who took part in a consultation backed the change.

Donation rates have increased markedly in Wales since they introduced a soft opt-out system in 2015.

Michael's story

Michael Hanlon knows only too well the agony of waiting for a heart transplant.

The 56-year-old dad of three spent 10 months in the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, awaiting a new heart after his condition deteriorated.

He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited disease of the heart muscle, and his condition slowly worsened over 10 years.

Michael “died” last October while awaiting transplant but was resuscitated because medical staff were on hand to save him.